Looking for Hopeful Stories – Found a Mass in Sigmoid Colon

Looking for Hopeful Stories – Found a Mass in Sigmoid Colon

Hi everyone,

I’m posting here because I’m feeling overwhelmed and anxious, and I’m hoping to hear some hopeful or encouraging stories.

Back in February of either 2017 or 2018, I had a colonoscopy at age 31 or 32—everything came back clear. In December 2020, I had gastric bypass surgery. Fast forward to August 2024, I had routine labs done and was found to be severely anemic—my hemoglobin was at 7. I tried oral iron supplements, but they didn’t help. By November 2024, my iron was still low, so I ended up getting four iron infusions over four weeks.

Thankfully, in February 2025, my labs showed improvement from the infusions. Around that time, I mentioned to my hematologist that I was having some bleeding during bowel movements. Because I was still under 40 and had a normal colonoscopy less than 10 years ago, she wasn’t too concerned but said to follow up if it continued.

On May 1st, I messaged her again about the bleeding, and she referred me for a colonoscopy. I had that procedure today.

Unfortunately, they didn’t get far into the rectum before finding a large mass in the sigmoid colon. The doctor took a biopsy but didn’t go past the mass because it started to bleed after being touched. She said it definitely needs to be removed, and now I’m waiting 7–10 days for pathology results.

I’m only 39, and I’ve always stayed on top of my health—doing all the tests and procedures. This has hit me hard and fast. I’ve already had two colonoscopies before turning 40, and I still ended up here.

If anyone has been through something similar or has any hopeful experiences to share, I’d really appreciate it right now. I’m trying to stay calm, but it’s hard not to spiral.

Thank you for reading.